Prayer in the Catholic Christian Tradition

Prayer and Prayer Practices Named and Mandated in the Brisbane Catholic Education Religion Curriculum

Prepared by

Pat Lavercombe

Brisbane Catholic Education

Schools Service Centre Springwood

2017

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Prayer in Schools Policy Prayer is an integral part of the life of a Catholic school and has the potential to nourish the spiritual growth of students. Purpose This policy is designed to support the promotion of prayer in schools and is applicable to those involved in prayer experiences within the school community. 1. Scheduled time is allocated for prayer each day. 2. Students are taught the formal prayers of the church as specified in the religious education curriculum. 3. Opportunities are provided for students to experience a variety of prayer forms in the Christian tradition. 4. Regular opportunities for staff prayer are provided.

5. The

development of prayer and Christian meditation groups in school communities is encouraged.

Explicit Teaching about Prayer

Religion Curriculum P-12

Explicit Teaching about Prayer is a resource that supports the Religion Curriculum P-12. It depicts the year level at which particular prayers and meditative prayer practices are explicitly taught, as identified in the content descriptions of the Prayer and Spirituality sub strand, and their development across the year levels. Further information and teaching ideas can be found on the Religious Education Curriculum website.

Teaching about prayer in a Catholic or ecumenical school is complemented by opportunities for staff and students to engage in prayer on a daily basis. In the course of their years at school, students will experience a variety of formal and informal expressions of prayer, appropriate to their age and development. Examples can be found in the Prayer and Worship component of the Religious Life of the School P-12.

Brisbane Catholic Education Religion Curriculum P-12.

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Time to Reflect.... What does prayer currently look like, sound like, feel like in your homeroom?

Questions to consider: Do I feel comfortable praying? .........Do I feel confident and comfortable with leading students and praying with them? .......... Is prayer something I am enthusiastic about and value? ...........Is prayer something I “DO” to students or is it a time when I facilitate and lead and model and empower them to nurture their prayer life?

What would you change in order to help your students pray more meaningfully?

What are challenges specific to prayer in homeroom?

What would you like the College to change about the policy and practice of prayer?

What changes are possible immediately?

What changes will I make? What actions will I take? What will I have a go at?

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Prayer: What Are We Talking About?

The Catechism:

Christian Wisdom:

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines prayer as: the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. CCC2559

According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain. CCC2562

This may be what the ancient spiritual masters from the Christian East meant by Philokalia:

“putting the mind in the heart.” Cynthia Bourgeault

For prayer to be real, we need the experience of contemplation (the “practice”), mature theology

and use of Scripture, and some kind of community. Many Catholics thought that all they had to

have were the second two: the teaching and the community. We didn’t necessarily have to

experience the Holy One in prayer. The result has been an often dry, ineffectual, and

disappointing Christianity.

Private or individualistic prayer is no prayer at all, in fact it is not possible, because prayer is

precisely plugging into a shared field of knowing, feeling, and loving. St. John Cassian called any

attempt at “private prayer” pax perniciosa, dangerous peace, because it keeps us feeling

separate and superior instead of connected and compassionate. Fr Richard Rohr OFM.

We do not go into prayer and hope to come out on the other end of the exercise fully grown in the Spirit, perfectly new, totally finished. Not at all. There is too much of us in us to ever disappear. Nor is it meant to. To pray does not mean that we will cease to be ourselves. It simply means that we will come to know clearly what it will take to become more of the Jesus figure we are all meant to be. Prayer confronts us with ourselves and measures the distance between who and what we are and who and what Jesus is….Being immersed in prayer, really immersed in prayer, sears our souls. It forces us to see how far from our own ideals we stand. It challenges the images of goodness and piety and integrity we project. It confronts us with what it really means to live a good life. It requires courage of us rather than simply piety. It says again and again, “Come, follow me.” Sr Joan Chittister OSB

I think a good number of Christians do not actually pray to the God of Jesus Christ, but to Zeus. Not that they are intending to pray to this pagan Greek god; it is just that their approach to prayer leads me to conclude that some people believe in a Zeus-like God. Though he could be loving and kind, he was more famous for being moody and unpredictable. One of the lessons lesser gods and mortals learned quickly was that if you wanted a good deal out of life, then you had to stay on Zeus’ good side. As with all the Greek gods, sacrifice and prayer were the usual offerings.

I believe all the sacrifices and prayers in the world cannot change (the God of Jesus) because that is the way God wants it. So what does our petitionary prayer do? Why bother praying to a God who does not change? When we pray, we are asking our holy, and unchanging God to change us, and thereby change the world. (Fr Richard Leonard SJ 2010)

Modern physics proposes that humans exist in a whole variety of energy fields that shape the ways we are and how we act. Humans live in in a kind of huge ocean of energy which swirls and washes everywhere, connecting every single thing in the universe, including humans….The theory of morphic resonance explains how an individual organism can be influenced by the behaviour of another organism of the same species… Prayers for others move across these energy fields to influence these people… Through morphic resonance, Christ affects the whole of humanity with the Christ energy of universal love… K Treston 2016.

The word “prayer” has often been trivialized by making it merely into a way of asking for what

you want or making announcements to God, as if God did not know (see Matthew 6:7-8). But I

use “prayer” to mean any interior journey or practice that allows you to experience faith, hope,

and love within yourself. It is not a technique for getting things, a pious exercise that somehow

makes God happy, or a requirement for entry into heaven. Prayer is much more practising

heaven now. Fr Richard Rohr OFM 2017

If the only prayer you ever say in your life is “thank you”, it will be enough. Meister Eckhardt d. 1327.

Expressions of PrayerThe Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies three expressions of prayer, namely: vocal prayer, meditative prayer and contemplative prayer. It states that the end purpose of all forms and types of prayer is contemplation, where we rest, comfortably and peacefully, in the God who comes to be with us and to dwell in us. All types of vocal and meditative prayer are intended to lead us to contemplation. We can ‘say’ prayers. We can ‘do’ meditation. In contemplative prayer, however, we simply “be”, because contemplative prayer is God’s response to our prayers: God comes to us and we rest in the presence of God. Vocal and Meditative prayer can form us for and open us to the gift of ‘being’ contemplative.

Contemplative prayer is the still point, the quiet centre of all communication with God. It is the simple act of being with God, a recognition, in stillness and silence, of God’s being with us and our being with God.

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Vocal PrayerVocal prayer is an essential element of

the Christian life. To his disciples, drawn

by their Master's silent prayer, Jesus

teaches a vocal prayer, the Our Father.

He not only prayed aloud the liturgical

prayers of the synagogue but, as the

Gospels show, he raised his voice to

express his personal prayer, from

exultant blessing of the Father to the

agony of Gesthemani.3

Because it is external and so thoroughly human, vocal prayer is the form of prayer most readily accessible to groups. CCC 2701; 2703

Meditative Prayer“The work of meditation” as Fr Laurence Freeman describes it, is the stilling of the mind in order for the heart to be open to the presence of God. Christian meditation uses centered breathing and a mantra to rid the mind of distraction and to achieve stillness and silence of body and mind.

Silence in prayer, as between two people, is a sign of trust and acceptance. Without the capacity to be silent, we are unable to listen to another person. In its essence, silence is nothing less than worship in spirit and truth.So, it is not just the absence of noise. Silence is a whole attitude of being, of relating, and an openness to the mutual knowing and inter-being which is love.

In prayer we need to come to physical stillness. This is the first step of the inner journey to God at the centre of our being. Physical stillness has a direct effect upon the silence of our mind and so helps immensely to bring body, mind and spirit into harmony.

But the next dimension of stillness is

Contemplative PrayerDescribed by the church as the simplest and highest form of prayer, contemplative prayer involves resting in the silence of God: the work of meditation done, we are now open to fully behold Jesus who is our way to God.

Why Pray?All texts are social and cultural constructs. They are composed for specific purposes and comprehended in social contexts. Prayer, as a text type, is no different. An examination of prayers in the Scriptures, from across history, in collections and in other texts, reveals that they are composed in the context of the life experiences and responses of communities, groups and individuals for specific purposes- e.g. to praise, to thank, to persuade, to argue, to inform, to transact, to ask for help, to say sorry, to invite, to console, to inspire, to forgive: indeed, to express the whole range of human emotions and desires. Individuals and groups can then take those prayers and adapt and use them for purposes other than those of the authors, in different social and cultural contexts.

Can Prayer Change God’s Mind?

Is the purpose of prayer to reverse or alter the divine will? Can anything we say or do in prayer change God’s mind? In one sense, the answer is “no”. To say otherwise is to suggest God is not all-knowing and all-loving and all-powerful. Such a God already knows what is best for us. In another sense, the answer is “yes”, because if this omniscient God sees everything in an eternal “instant”, then our prayers are “factored-in” to determining and guiding the course of our human and personal histories.

We can only take as a model Jesus, who prayed for a number of purposes and assured us that God indeed did hear and answer prayer.

In the end, however, the problem is beyond resolution, suggests Richard McBrien in Catholicism (1994). He suggests that we resort to the well-known Ignatian formula: “Work as if everything depended on you, but pray as if everything depended on God”.

Forms of PrayerThe purpose of the prayer can also determine its form, mode of delivery and the need for accompanying ritual elements, or rubrics. In the, Old Testament, the Book of Psalms provides some examples of various purposes of prayer. In this book we find psalms expressing thanksgiving, petition, praise and sorrow. The Christian tradition has given particular emphasis in its prayer life to prayers of thanksgiving, petition, praise and sorrow. This is reflective of human living. A great deal of the day to day communication of human beings is for the purposes of making requests of one sort or another (petition), giving thanks for favours received (thanksgiving), expressing admiration or

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Meditative Prayer“The work of meditation” as Fr Laurence Freeman describes it, is the stilling of the mind in order for the heart to be open to the presence of God. Christian meditation uses centered breathing and a mantra to rid the mind of distraction and to achieve stillness and silence of body and mind.

Silence in prayer, as between two people, is a sign of trust and acceptance. Without the capacity to be silent, we are unable to listen to another person. In its essence, silence is nothing less than worship in spirit and truth.So, it is not just the absence of noise. Silence is a whole attitude of being, of relating, and an openness to the mutual knowing and inter-being which is love.

In prayer we need to come to physical stillness. This is the first step of the inner journey to God at the centre of our being. Physical stillness has a direct effect upon the silence of our mind and so helps immensely to bring body, mind and spirit into harmony.

But the next dimension of stillness is

Contemplative PrayerDescribed by the church as the simplest and highest form of prayer, contemplative prayer involves resting in the silence of God: the work of meditation done, we are now open to fully behold Jesus who is our way to God.

..our prayer tends to follow the categories of the Psalms. Apart from asking God for something, our prayer can also lament our situation, that is, cry out in anguish; it can give thanks and praise; affirm our trust and faith; sing of our salvation; and simply wait upon the presence of God. Leonard, 2010.

appreciation of persons or things (praise) and saying sorry and asking forgiveness (sorrow). In liturgical events such as the Eucharist, all four of these purposes of prayer find expression. Many traditional Christian prayers serve the purpose of expressing one or more of the four sentiments of thanksgiving, petition, praise and sorrow. A central Christian prayer such as the Lord’s Prayer expresses all four sentiments.

The primary purpose of prayer is to respond to God’s initiation of dialogue with us. It is always an act of faith and hope. The purpose of prayers of praise and thanksgiving is to give more explicit and deliberate form to our sense of the greatness and wonder of God and of our own place within the total scheme of reality. The purpose of prayers of contrition or seeking forgiveness is for us to acknowledge our failure to respect this fundamental relationship with God and deliberately open ourselves anew to God’s abiding presence within us to make us better than we are. Prayers of petition or intercession assist us to come to terms with our needs and those of other people. They assist us to make ourselves ever more sensitive to our obligations to do whatever is possible to fulfil those needs, whether for ourselves, or others. The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses each of these purposes in sections 2626-2643.

A Simple Prayer Formula for any Ritual or Service

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An easy way to compose a prayer for use as an opening or concluding prayer, is to follow the

YOU-WHO-THROUGH pattern.

YOU- begin by addressing God and/or naming God. “Loving God”, “God of Mercy”, “God who heals”, “Father in Heaven”. All prayer should address God.

WHO- name ‘WHO’ God is for us, for example: “Giver of all good gifts”, “You are always ready to forgive”, “Our strength and hope”. This is often in the form of the first task of prayer: praise and thanksgiving.

DO- we ask God to act, to ‘DO’ something: “Be with us as we gather in your name”, “Grant peace to our world”. Alternatively, in a prayer of thanks, we do something- we thank or praise God.

THROUGH- We pray to God in and THROUGH Christ, so our prayer concludes with a simple “Through Christ our Lord Amen”, or “In the name of Jesus your Son, Amen.

This pattern or structure can be used to compose a prayer for any occasion; grace, opening prayer, closing prayer, blessing.

e.g.

You: Ever-present and companion God, Who: out of love for us, you sent Jesus to be our

strength and guide.Do: help us to hear his voice today and guide our steps

in the way he has shown us, as we find you in each other.

Through: We ask this in his name. Amen.

Prayer does not have to be complex, sophisticated in language or construct, or long. Simple, straightforward, short prayers which form part of our regular lifestyle are to be recommended!

Some You-Who-Do-Through Templates.Below are some prayer templates which literally could last a lifetime: there are more than 9000 individual prayers in them!

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Prayer to an Ancient God

1. God the Creator

You• Mysterious Creator• Creator of the Universe• Creator Spirit• Eternal Cosmic Force• Eternal parent• All-powerful creator• God, our mother and father• God, maker of all that has lived or will live..• ……….

Who• You care for all creation• You love everything you have made• You know each one of us by name• You are a father/parent to us all• You love us like our parents• Your life force is present in all of us• You watch over your creation• Your Spirit moves over the cosmos• ………..

Do

• Inspire us to care for all creation as you do• Help us to be good stewards of creation• Help us to grow into worthwhile people• Teach us to love everyone as you do• Watch over us as we live out our lives• Help us to respect all live, great and small• Give us the courage to protect mother earth• Inspire us to live simply, so others may simply live• ………

Through

• We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen• We ask this through Christ, our brother. Amen• We ask that you grant our prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen.• We ask that you hear and answer our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Prayer to an Ancient God

1. God the Creator

You• Mysterious Creator• Creator of the Universe• Creator Spirit• Eternal Cosmic Force• Eternal parent• All-powerful creator• God, our mother and father• God, maker of all that has lived or will live..• ……….

Who• You care for all creation• You love everything you have made• You know each one of us by name• You are a father/parent to us all• You love us like our parents• Your life force is present in all of us• You watch over your creation• Your Spirit moves over the cosmos• ………..

Do

• Inspire us to care for all creation as you do• Help us to be good stewards of creation• Help us to grow into worthwhile people• Teach us to love everyone as you do• Watch over us as we live out our lives• Help us to respect all live, great and small• Give us the courage to protect mother earth• Inspire us to live simply, so others may simply live• ………

Through

• We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen• We ask this through Christ, our brother. Amen• We ask that you grant our prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen.• We ask that you hear and answer our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer to God, who-walks-with-us/ Ever-Present God

You:• Companion God• God of Day and God of Darkness• Ever-present God• God, my companion and friend• God my protector,• Ever-present Spirit,• God, my guardian• …….

Who:

• you are always at my side (or who is always at my side)• you do not abandon your people (or who does not abandon…)• you are a faithful God (or who is..)• you watch over us day and night (or who…)• you are more powerful than the forces which might harm us (or who..)• you are present, even when we do not realise it (or who…)• you are always near (or who…)• you journey through life with us (or who…)• ……….

Do:

• help me when I am afraid• protect me from harm/those who would hurt me• protect ….. from sickness and harm• help me to trust in your faithfulness• give me courage to face life’s challenges• thank you for the gift of friends and family• give me the strength to carry on• help me to remember to live by your ways• ………

Through:

• I make this prayer through Jesus, your son and my brother. Amen.• We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.• Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer to Jesus Second Person of the TrinityYou• Jesus, my brother• Jesus my guide• Jesus, face of the living God• Jesus, my inspiration• Jesus, my friend• Jesus, son of Mary• Jesus, voice of the poor• Jesus, Word of God

Who• You call me to discipleship• You are my guide and my help• You knew despair and doubt• You lead me to God• You have revealed the living God to us• You are the bearer of God’s Dream for us• You promised your Spirit would be with us always• You experienced betrayal and indifference and derision• You demand much of me in my time and place• You ask too much of me!• You come to me in the silence• You are all that I need

Do

• Give me courage to see you in the poor and outcast• Help me in my struggle to follow you• Come to me now, in my time of need• Thank you for being my constant companion• Show me the Father, that I may believe• Give me the peace the world cannot give• Let me feel your presence walking with me• Call me to act in your name• Show me what I must do• Reveal yourself to me each day in all I meet• Inspire me to become more like you each day• Speak to me in the quiet of my heart• Let me hear your voice anew in the gospels• Give me the sight to see you around me each day• Rescue me from fear and hesitation• Give me the courage to reach out for you

Through• Through the power of your Spirit still with us.• Through the power of you love for all humanity• Through the strength you drew from your love of the Father.• Through the power that is love, now and forever.

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Prayer to the Third Person of the Trinity

YOU• Spirit of Courage• Holy Spirit• Spirit of Peace• Spirit of God• Spirit of Jesus• Breath of God• Source of Wisdom• Spirit of Life

WHO• You dwell in the power that is love• You are our helper and friend• You fill us with love• You bring peace to our hearts• You dwell within us• You are ever present • You give us life• You are with us to the end of time• You empower us to show our goodness

DO

• Give us courage to be true to what we believe• Calm our fears• Give us strength • Guide us and bless us• Be with us in our decision making• Help us to listen to others and really hear what they are saying• Fill us with love • Help us to respect creation and see God in all things• Direct us to see what is good in life

THROUGH

• We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen• We ask in the name of Jesus our Brother. Amen.•

A Simple Structure for a Prayer Celebration- No matter how short or long!

Every prayer ritual or prayer celebration, formal or informal, draws on the formal structure of the Liturgies of the Church. This four-fold format should be used when preparing any prayer service- even a short class prayer celebration.

The four aspects are:

1. We Gather and Prepare2. We Listen and Respond3. We Share and Give Thanks4. We Go and Proclaim

Each aspect has a number of sub-elements which can be enhanced or omitted depending on time, participants and circumstance/place. The formal Liturgies of the Church tend to be less flexible, with set requirements and content.

1. We Gather and Prepare

This is about moving to a psychological space where we can enter into prayer. It is about creating a space and place both externally and internally. It is important to inform students about this, why it is expected and how it can help one to focus and be present or mindful. This is what the curriculum calls “participating respectfully” in prayer.

Preparing the Space

Preparing the Participants

(In a short prayer service, this may involve one simple action only)

I. A signal for gathering or calling to prayer e.g.Entrance SongSound of a prayer chime or bellRain stickThe lighting of a candle followed by 30 seconds of silenceThe Sign of the Cross

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Constant Elements of a Sacred Space

• Liturgical colour e.g. in prayer mat or cloth; • Candle; • Cross or crucifix; • Bible

Optional Extras:

Various symbols appropriate to occasion; images; elements from nature

Reflective MusicHolding high a religious icon e.g. cross or bible and waiting for silenceA greeting and response- e.g. Peace be with you/ And also with you.An invitation to silent reflection on what we are about to do/placing ourselves in the presence of God e.g. Let us remember that God is with us..... Let us place ourselves in the presence of God....Silence and stillness Centered BreathingStilling of body e.g. body relaxation exercise

II. Opening Prayer

This prayer is usually a “collect” prayer, which gathers together the prayer/aspirations/ purpose of the people gathered. As usual, it uses the You-who-do-through format.

2. We Listen and Respond

We Listen

The preferred source of our listening in prayer is the Word of God. There are many translations available to suit different occasions e.g. at www.biblegateway.com/versions/. The passage/s need not be long: in a simple prayer service, a one or two line reading with one focus can be most powerful.

The ritual of taking up and opening, proclaiming, closing and replacing the text is an important part of the Listening process and can take little or no extra time.

In other, less formal and perhaps shorter prayer services such as PC prayer where time is limited, other texts may be appropriate:

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An issue at affecting the school community/PC class- e.g a death

A mantra e.g. I am with you Music or a shortened section of a song or hymn Prayer from the School Prayer Book Silence and Stillness – Listen to the quiet of your heart by

focusing on breathing for 30 seconds or one minute. Images e.g. Images of Earthquake victims; religious art or

icons, Power Point; newspaper article/s Holding a collection of images of Jesus or Mary and

selecting one for quiet contemplation. Reflection or excerpt from a story or poem A quote from one of the saints or representative of the

school charism e.g. Mary MacKillop - “Never see a need without doing something about it”

We Respond

In a short prayer, this may be the focus, or it may simply be a silent reflection, or an action such as a sign of peace, or a statement such as “have a good day today”. In longer rituals, the more complex forms can be used.

Following the listening, there are a number of possible ways to respond. They can be simple or complex and include:

We Share and Give Thanks

In more formal liturgies, this section may include prayers of thanksgiving (e.g. the Eucharistic Prayer or an equivalent in a Liturgy of the Word and Communion) and the sharing of the consecrated bread and wine.

In other prayer services, it may simply be a reference to our first obligation in prayer is to give praise and thanks to God and to share a sign of peace. Other symbols or symbolic actions may be shared.

A simple example is:

We Go and Proclaim

We Go

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A moment of silence to add their own prayers to the one read out. Invitation to silent reflection/prayer on what has been heard, or add the prayers of their

own heart.

Reading a reflection on the text heard

Naming words/ideas heard from the text- with others or visually

Use a word or phrase as a mantra

Journaling

The sharing of spontaneous prayers of thanks and petition

Joining in formally prepared Prayers of Petition

We thank God for the words of Jesus which sustain and challenge us to live out the reign of God here and now in our place and time.

As a sign of that willingness, let us offer each other a sign of peace.

Returning to the ordinary can be a reverse or repeat of the leaving the ordinary ritual chosen for the start of the prayer service. These include:

We Proclaim

As stated earlier, Christian prayer must contain an element of response to or leading to action. So the dismissal or conclusion of the prayer celebration needs to point to this action. It is usually a simple invitation to live out what has been proclaimed in the prayers or the celebration. The invitations can be formal, as in the Liturgies of the Church, or informal to reflect the group.

I. Formal

II. Informal

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Closing PrayerBlessing Extinguishing the “Christ” candleThe Sign of the CrossSound of a gong or chimes or water stick or bellUse of music (“Recessional” music)

Go forth, the Mass is ended. Response: Thanks be to God

Or: Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord. Response: Thanks be to God

Or: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. Response: Thanks be to God

Or: Go in peace. Response: Thanks be to God

Let us go into our day inspired to live life as Jesus taught. R. We will, with God’s helpOrLet us return to our lives witnessing to the values we have learned. R. We will, with the help of the Spirit of Jesus.OrLet us put into action the hopes and desires expressed here today. R. We will, believing Jesus walks with us.

Prayers and Rituals for Use in Prep

I. Prayers of ThanksWhile to start with students can use the simplest for “Thank you, God for…… Teachers can begin to model the simple use of the “You-Who-Do-Through” framework for all prayer when composing prayers of thanks.

e.g. Generous God, thank you for our class- for our friends, for feeling safe and happy, for all the new things we learn each day. May we use all that we learn to help our world to be a better place. We make this prayer through Jesus, our brother. Amen.

Also, it is an opportunity to expand the students’ repertoire of things for which they are grateful: for example, taking them beyond pets and family. They can be grateful for the weather, for their education; for what they learned today; for their health; for their school and friends; for living in peace in this country; for their way of life; their toys and their homes; for good food and safe drinking water; for an unpolluted environment; for Jesus coming to tell us of God’s love….a simple thing such as a prayer of thanks can incorporate other aspects of the curriculum!

II. The Sign of the CrossThe sign of the Cross is probably the most often used prayer of Christians and for many, the first prayer they learned as children - “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.” Despite its simplicity, the sign of the Cross is an ancient prayer rich in meaning. References to it appear in writings dating back to Tertullian (d. 230 C.E.) and it is believed that it was in use during the earliest days of Christianity.

The HowInitially, the sign of the Cross was made with thumb, usually on the forehead but sometimes on the lips and chest. This small sign of the Cross was in common use by the end of the fourth century and is still used today, preceding the proclamation of the Gospel at the celebration of the Eucharist. In doing this, we acknowledge our belief in the Word of God, our commitment to spread God’s Word in our daily lives and our awareness of God’s presence in our hearts. In other words, we pray that we should understand it with our minds, speak it with our lips and believe it in our hearts. Likewise, the sign of the Cross made with the thumb occurs when receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick. It also is used for marking the forehead with ashes on Ash Wednesday. By the end of the Middle Ages, the Western Church had adopted the practice of making the large sign of the Cross with an open hand and touching the left shoulder before the right. This is the form we continue to use today.

III. AmenFour things we can teach children about “Amen.”

1. Amen is a way for all of us to participate in prayer or preachingAmen is a very old Hebrew term that means “so be it,” “indeed” or “truly.” Numerous times in the Bible, individuals or a whole group of people would say “Amen” in response to a prayer, a blessing,

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or a curse uttered by someone else (Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 1 Chronicles 1636; Nehemiah 8:5-6; Jeremiah 11:5; 1 Corinthians 14:16).

When you say or whisper “Amen” after someone has just said a prayer or spoken a great promise from the Bible, it is letting others know you agree with what was just said. When you are paying close attention to what people pray or preach, saying “Amen” is a way you can join them, even if you aren’t the one speaking.

It is important to remind our children that we should learn to never say Amen mindlessly. Saying Amen means we have heard what was said in prayer and agree.

2. Amen is the most widely known word in the world

On occasion, when ideas are moving from one culture to another, one language to another, words are transliterated instead of translated. This happened in the Greek-speaking world of the early church, for instance, with the word Amen. Instead of finding a suitable Greek word, New Testament authors chose to keep the sound of original Hebrew word Amen intact.

Find any culture where Christianity has taken root and you’ll likely find the same pattern: churches in China, Nigeria, Spain, Japan, Brazil, and nearly any other place in the world all say “Amen” at the end of their prayers. Some believe the word Amen is the most widely known word in the world.

When we say Amen, we are saying something that thousands of cultures and languages understand. It reminds our children that they are practising a tradition that dates back to the earliest Christians and is common to Christians all over the globe.

3. Jesus used Amen unlike anyone before Him

We typically say Amen at the end of our prayers or right after someone says something true. According to the writers of the Gospels, Jesus uses the word amen more than 70 times, and most of the time He says it, He uses it before He speaks. Sometimes it is it translated, “Truly, I tell you,” or “Verily, I say to you.” What He is saying is, “Amen, I tell you.”

4. Jesus is the reason we can say Amen to all of God’s promises

Paul writes, “[A]ll the promises of God find their Yes in him [Christ]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20). God has made many, many promises in the Bible—so many, it would be hard to count them all. In this passage, the Paul says that every promise from God you can find, no matter what it is, Jesus is the answer to all of them. When we hear a promise from the Bible, we can say “Amen,” because we know Jesus is the ultimate answer to that promise.

Every time we say Amen after hearing a truth from the Bible, in the back of our minds this should mean: “Yes! I believe this is true because of Jesus.” Every promise of blessing, peace, provision, comfort, forgiveness, life, and holiness is fulfilled because of the work and person of Christ. He is the great Amen (Revelation 3:14).

From http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2014/09/04/5-things-teach-child-word-amen/

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Prayers to be Taught in Year One:I. Grace

There are many variations on this prayer. It is not necessary to retain the old English version with its “thys” and with “bounty” which students in Yr One would not understand.

It is the concept of gratitude we need to impart, not exact words. Therefore you may have our own prayers before meals.

Bless us, O Lord.. and these, your gifts.. which we are about to receive.. from your goodness. We make this prayer through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

II. The Hail MaryThe Place of Mary and the Saints in the Prayer of the Catholic tradition

All Christian denominations and other faith traditions tend to develop their relationship with God or their particular deity through practices of praying that have as their purpose adoration, thanksgiving, petition and contrition. Praying in the Catholic tradition reflects its richness and uniqueness through an inclusion of prayer that recognises the special devotion afforded to Mary, the angels and the saints as well as prayer addressed to God. Prayers and rituals such as litanies, the Angelus, the Hail Mary and various prayers to specific saints generally include statements of praise for God for the great things that have been done for those honoured. This is followed by a request for the intercession of Mary or the saints on behalf of all people that they too may follow the path of faith, hope and love that once found daily expression in the lives of those now with God, to whom devotion is shown.

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1966) articulated with clarity that while all prayers are ultimately addressed to God, prayers to Mary, the angels and saints in heaven are requests for them to intercede before God for us. (cf. LG 50).

At the same time, let the faithful be instructed that our communion with those in heaven, provided that it is understood in the more adequate light of faith, in no way weakens, but rather on the contrary, more thoroughly enriches the supreme worship we give to God the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit (LG 51).

To God, whom we give absolute worship, we pray: “Have mercy on us,” while to Mary and the saints to whom we show a different kind of honour, we ask: “Pray for us.” (cf. LG 67).

The Hail Mary

While this is a predominantly Catholic prayer, it is important that all students know about it and its place in the history of the Church. It is not acceptable to “excuse” students from learning about the Hail Mary if they are not Catholic, nor to choose not to teach about it because some students in the class are not Catholic. This is education about religion. Students may choose not to believe it, but they ned to know what they are not accepting.

The early history of the Hail Mary is not clear, as the words are taken from Scripture and it is difficult to ascertain when the greeting/prayer was distinctly used. One source attributes the distinct use of the first half to St. Idlefonsus of Toledo in the 7th century. Its use as a salutation and prayer begin to appear from frequently in the 11th and 12th centuries, though the first half only was regarded as the 'Hail Mary'. Here are the parts of the prayer:

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Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee (Luke 1:28 with 'Mary' gradually added by the Church)

Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus ( Luke 1:42 with 'Jesus' being added by Pope Urban IV in 1261)

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen (based on the declaration of the Council of Ephesus in 431, this part of the prayer appeared in the mid-15th century, being codified by the Council of Trent in 1568)

Prayers to be Taught in Year Two

Prayer for forgiveness

Formal prayers for forgiveness include the Penitential Act and the Act of Contrition.

I. Penitential ActThese prayers are the ones used at Mass and so it is useful for the students to learn the responses.

PRIEST:

Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, that we may prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

FORM A

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

FORM B

Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.

People: For we have sinned against you.

Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.

People: And grant us your salvation.

FORM C

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart:

Lord, have mercy.

You came to call sinners:

Christ, have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us:

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Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST:

May almighty God have mercy on us and lead us, with our sins forgiven, into eternal life.

If form A or B is used, the Kyrie follows:

PRIEST:

Lord, have mercy.

PEOPLE:

Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST:

Christ, have mercy.

PEOPLE:

Christ, have mercy.

PRIEST:

Lord, have mercy.

PEOPLE:

Lord, have mercy.

II. Act of ContritionAct of Contrition (from the website of the Archdiocese of Brisbane)

O my God, I am sorry that I have sinned against you, because you are so good, and by the help of Your grace, I will not sin again.

Prayers to be Taught in Year Three

I. Glory BeGlory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

II. DoxologiesThe word doxology is a familiar word to Christians. We are familiar with it but we may not understand it fully. So let me just give a brief definition for doxology. It is really nothing more than a praise saying. It comes from two Greek words: doxa which means glory and lagas which means to

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say or a word or a saying. It is a saying about God's glory. That is to say it is praise or it is offering God thanks. It is saying thanks by means of praising God. A doxology is a praise saying.

Doxologies in Liturgies:

Doxologies appear in various liturgies of the Church. One of the most familiar is the doxology at the end of the Lord’s Prayer: “For the kingdom, / the power and the glory are yours / now and for ever.” During the Liturgy of the Hours, there are doxologies at the end of the psalms. The Rosary includes the “Glory be.” Hymns, especially ancient ones, have a doxology as the final or part of the final, stanza. Finally, there is the doxology at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer: “Through him, and with him, and in him, / O God, almighty Father, / in the unity of the Holy Spirit, / all glory and honour is yours, / for ever and ever.”

The Psalms:

Psalm 150 is the concluding doxology for the Psalter of all 150 chapters. And, in fact, if you have at all studied the Psalms, you came across the reality that there's not really one book of Psalms, but there are five - five books within the Psalms. And if you look through the Psalms, you will see in the margin or at the heading of certain chapters that this is book one, book two, book three, book four and book five. Book one ends in Psalm 41. Book two ends in Psalm 72. Book three ends in Psalm 89. Book four ends in Psalm 106 and, then, book five ends with Psalm 150.

Now what is interesting about that is that the conclusion of each of the five books is a doxology. And, in fact, the conclusion of the whole Psalter is not only a doxology in Psalm 150, but several other doxologies in the prior Psalms.

So it sort of a crescendo-ing book. It starts out book one ends with a doxology, book two a doxology, book three a doxology, book four a doxology, and then book five, doxology upon doxology upon doxology.

Paul’s Doxologies

Galatians 1: 3-5Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Romans 16: 25-2725 Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.

1 Timothy 17To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. [b] Amen.

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Ephesians 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ[b] before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

Romans 11: 33-36O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!34 ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?’35 ‘Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?’36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.

Philippians 4: 19And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Jude 1: 24Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, 25 to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen.

III. Prayers of ThanksgivingWhile to start with students can use the simplest for “Thank you, God for…… Teachers can begin to model the simple use of the “You-Who-Do-Through” framework for all prayer when composing prayers of thanks.

e.g. Generous God, thank you for our class- for our friends, for feeling safe and happy, for all the new things we learn each day. May we use all that we learn to help our world to be a better place. We make this prayer through Jesus, our brother. Amen.

Also, it is an opportunity to expand the students’ repertoire of things for which they are grateful: for example, taking them beyond pets and family. They can be grateful for the weather, for their education; for their health; for their school and friends; for living in peace in this country; for their way of life; their toys and their homes; for good food and safe drinking water; for an unpolluted environment; for Jesus coming to tell us of God’s love….a simple thing such as a prayer of thanks can incorporate other aspects of the curriculum!

Grace after meals is a prayer of thanksgiving

The Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass are the greatest prayers of thanksgiving.

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Prayers to be Taught in Year Four

I. Prayers of PetitionPrayer is not a list of requests; it is an introspective process, a refining process of discovering what one is, what one should be and how to achieve the transformation. " "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." (Catholic Catechism, 2559)

Can we change the course of events through prayer? Can we manipulate the mind and heart of God? Can we ward off some evil occurrence by specifically imploring God to save us from it? Richard McBrien in his text Catholicism (1994) states that we need to avoid the two extreme positions on prayer - namely: at one end of the spectrum which argues that prayer is a completely useless activity because it cannot change the course of events, or is simply auto-suggestion; and the other extreme, which depicts God as some sort of dispenser of beneficence who can be bargained with, cajoled or harassed into changing our destiny.

Christian prayer is perhaps most associated with seeking the help of God, the saints or any or all of the company of heaven for everything from living a life worthy of Jesus and therefore heaven, to finding lost items, being cured of disease and passing exams. Prayers for help stem from words attributed to Jesus: “I will do whatever you ask for in my name” (Jn 14: 13); and “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7-8).

Note though, there is a difference between petitions such as “May your will be done on earth as in heaven” and a petition for personal help such as “Give us today the food we need”. Not all prayers of petition are prayers for help.

Prayers for help across the centuries have been addressed to God as father or loving parent, stern judge or powerful creator; to Jesus as Lord, redeemer and brother to humanity; to the Holy Spirit particularly for inspiration and presence in difficult times.

II. Prayers of Intercession

Invitation, Petition, Response.

Invitation: Trusting that our God is near, let us pray for the needs of the world.

Let us pray for…We remember….We put before God…We thank God for…Let us thank God for

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Prayer Starters: That....For .....

Petition: Lord hear us; Hear us, Our God.

Response: Lord hear our prayer; Hear and answer us, O God

Invitation to prayer: Trusting that our God is near, let us pray for the needs of the world.Prayers of intercession:For all members of the church throughout the world …..PAUSE Lord hear usResponse: Lord hear our prayer

For all people in our school and families ….. PAUSE…Lord hear usResponse: Lord hear our prayer

For the care and protection of God’s world…..PAUSE ….Lord hear us Response: Lord hear our prayer

For peace in our world…..PAUSE….. Lord hear usResponse: Lord hear our prayer

For the prayers in our hearts today…..PAUSE…..Lord hear usResponse: Lord hear our prayer Concluding Prayer: We make this prayer through Christ our Lord Amen

III. BlessingsA blessing prayer is one that calls on God’s power to care for a person, place, thing or undertaking.In praying a prayer of blessing, we ask for God’s presence, goodness and protection to be evident in the lives of those the prayer is intended for or those who will enter the place that is being blessed e.g. a school, church, classrooms, library

There are many opportunities to use blessing prayers. It is a matter of recognising opportunities to use them. It is also important to teach about them so that students are familiar with the process and come to a sense of feeling comfortable in blessing situations.

Blessing prayers can be prayed: at the start of a new school year at the end of the day before a trip or pilgrimage or service learning activity on a birthday or anniversary before a retreat or camp for school student leaders to welcome new students to farewell teachers and/or students for the school holidays

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for a sports event for students preparing to celebrate a sacrament for fathers, mothers, grandparents, families

A blessing prayer is always included at the end of a mass and may also be included in other liturgical celebrations. They can also be used in the context of prayer assemblies and in the classroom.

How to teach about blessings: Explore the greeting used in the school e.g. May God bless you; Peace be with you. What

does this mean? Why do we say it? What should we be thinking and feeling when we use this greeting?

Invite students to name times that they may have experienced a blessing from someone else e.g. at baptism, confirmation, mass, liturgical celebration, class or school ritual.

Discuss with students about times that they bless themselves e.g. making the sign of the Cross, using holy water, tracing the cross on their foreheads, lips and hearts before listening to the gospel.

Encourage students to name when they have been involved in giving someone a blessing e.g. a farewell ritual, a birthday blessing, a blessing for a new student, blessing of student leaders, blessing of people going on a pilgrimage e.g. WYD

Explore plaques or foundation stones in the school environment. Discuss the concepts in blessing prayers at the end of a mass. Explore blessings from Scripture: leaders often blessed people, especially when getting ready

to leave them e.g. Moses (Deut 33; Joshua (22:6-7); and Jesus (Luke:24:50). The First Letter from Peter 1:3-9 has several elements of a blessing prayer beginning with giving thanks and praise to God.

Learn Blessing songs which can be used at school and liturgical celebrations. Involve the students in writing blessing prayers for specific occasions. Use the structure of

You, Who, Do, Through.

How to pray a blessingThere are many ways to pray a blessing, including having all those doing the blessing raise their hand over the person or group to be blessed. A blessing might also involve placing a hand on the person’s shoulder or head.

How to write a blessing:Using the You Who Do Through structureYOU- begin by addressing God or naming God. e.g. God of new beginnings .

WHO- name ‘WHO’ God is for us, e.g. You are our strength and hope

DO- we ask God to bless, to ‘DO’ something e.g. Be with us as we journey together this year.

THROUGH - We pray to God in and THROUGH Christ, so our prayer concludes with a simple Through Christ our Lord Amen

Examples of Blessings

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Blessing for a BirthdayLoving God, you are with us in all we do.Bless ______ as he/she celebrates his/her birthday.May he/she be blessed with blessed with peace & joy.May he/she continue to grow in your love.We make this prayer through Jesus, our loving friend.Amen.

Blessing for Mother’s/Father’s Day

God of gentleness, you look after us and never stop loving us.Bless our mum/dad.May she/he know that I/we love her and that I/we appreciate all she does for me/us.May she/he know she/he is precious in the eyes of our God.Amen.

Blessing for School Student Leaders

Spirit of God, you guide us and light our way.Bless our Year six/eleven students as they take on the role as leaders of our school/campus/college.Bless our community as we encourage and support them in their leadership role.We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing for a school camp/retreat

God our guiding light, you are protector of us allBless us as we experience new things on camp.Bless us all as we enjoy our time together and keep us safe.We make this prayer through Jesus, our loving friend. Amen

Blessing to welcome a new student

Loving God, you love and care for us all. Bless (name) as he/she begins his/her journey with us.Bless us all as we welcome him/her to our class community.We make this prayer through Jesus your Son. Amen

Blessing for a Sports Event

God of creation, you inspire us and protect us.Bless our class/school and help us to have fun at the athletics/swimming/sport carnival.We make this prayer through Jesus our brother. Amen

Simple and short blessings to end homeroom prayer, a prayer ritual, liturgy or the day:

May our God of Hope fill us with joy as we

spend time with others . Amen

May the peace of Christ guide us as we journey

through the day. Amen

May the Spirit of wisdom inform our

thoughts. Amen

May God’s word live in our hearts. Amen

May God keep us safe and from all harm

Amen May God’s wisdom guide us. Amen

May God’s tender hand support us. Amen May God’s love surround us. Amen

Praying with Litanies

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Litanies are simple, ancient forms of responsive petition, used in public liturgical services and in private devotions, which serve purposes of prayers for help, praise, forgiveness, thanksgiving and blessing. Litanies consist of a lead statement followed by a repeated response, such as “pray for us” or “we praise you, we bless you, we thank you” or “Lord hear us”; or “Lord Have Mercy”.

Leader: Statement or PetitionAll: Repeated Response

A litany is the name given to a repetitive form of communal prayer in which the assembly sings or recites a common response to a series of petitions or acclamations sung by a cantor or proclaimed by a reader. It comes from the Greek word litaneia which means petition or supplication.

Litanies can have the effect of mantras - that is, the response is by rote or becomes automatic, not requiring thought. They are rhythmical and can accompany a procession. As with other prayers, litanies can be addressed to God, persons of the Trinity, Our Lady and the saints.

Because they involve the repetition of a single phrase, litanies serve the purpose of involving everyone without the use of texts. They are easily committed to memory and can serve a teaching function in the theological issues or statements made in the petition section of the litany.

Litanies can be found in the Psalms- e.g. Psalm 135 and in the Song of the Men in the Fiery Furnace (Dan 3: 57-87). They have been included in the liturgies of the Eastern and Western rites since earliest times and still have forms in the Modern Mass in the Penitential Rite and Prayers of the Faithful.

Litanies were developed in Christendom for use in processions. In the West there were traditionally four days for these processional litanies, the Rogation Days. The Eastern liturgies make frequent use of litanies, recited by the deacon; the response is usually “Lord, have mercy.” The Kyrie eleison or Lord have mercy is a relic of such a litany.A good example of a litany is the Litany of the Saints that is prayed during the celebration of Baptism. All present are invited to invoke the saints:

Holy Mary, Mother of GodPray for usSaint John the BaptistPray for usSaint JosephPray for usSaint Peter and Saint PaulPray for usAll holy men and womenPray for usThis Litany of the Saints, dates from the 5th century and can be used on the feast of All Saints. Modelled on it are a number of non-liturgical (i.e., non-prescribed) litanies: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus (15th cent.), Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or of Loreto; 16th cent.), Litany of the Sacred Heart, and Litany of St. Joseph.

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A litany is a devotional prayer for two or more people gathered together. The principal phrase (versicle = v.) is said or prayed by one person, and the responses (r.) by the others in unison.

I. Prayers for ForgivenessWhile St Paul assures us that Christ died “once and for all” for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins, Christianity presumes that as fallible human beings, we will continue to fail to fall short of the mark and be in need of reconciliation with God and each other. The sacrament of Reconciliation evolved in response to the desire of Christians to repent times when they did not live up to the model Jesus set and to resolve to better their lives.

In the Lord’s Prayer, the model for all Christian prayer, the fifth petition states: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” (Mt 6:12). In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus goes on to say: If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done. (Mt 6: 14-15). Praying for forgiveness, then, involves a twofold act. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2608) states: “From the Sermon on the Mount onwards, Jesus insists on conversion of heart: reconciliation with one's brother (sic) before presenting an offering on the altar, love of enemies and prayer for persecutors, prayer to the Father in secret, not heaping up empty phrases, prayerful forgiveness from the depths of the heart, purity of heart and seeking the Kingdom before all else. This filial conversion is entirely directed to the Father.” In another place (2631), it states: “Asking forgiveness is the prerequisite for both the Eucharistic liturgy and personal prayer.”

Prayers for forgiveness then, not only have the aspect of saying “sorry”, but require a commitment to reconciliation with the one against whom the offence has occurred: there is a personal and communal dimension to prayers for forgiveness.

You (A description of God to whom the group is praying)

God of healing

Do (What God is asked to do)

Fill our hearts and minds with ways that we can help our broken world

Through (The prayer is made through Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit)

We ask this through Christ our Lord

IV. Blessing Prayers:

Blessing is the act of declaring, or wishing, favour and goodness on others. The blessing is not only the good effect of words; it also has the power to bring them to pass. In the Scriptures, even if spoken by mistake, once a blessing was given it could not be taken back. The nature of blessing is always reciprocal: we are blessed and, in turn, we must bless. But to be blessed and to bless, we

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must be compassionately connected. Blessing is a technique of inner transformation which moves us to a greater realization of self and God. It is a concrete action.

Benediction is a prayer that God may bestow certain blessing on people. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the form of priestly benediction was prescribed in the Law: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” You may recognise this formula as now forming part of the Rite of Blessing in the Dismissal Rite of the Christian Eucharist.

Blessings have five distinct purposes:

1. God blesses creation: e.g. nature (Gen 1:22); humanity (Gen 1:28); the Sabbath (Gen 2:3); nations (Ps 33:12); and individuals (Gen 24:1). God also blesses people by giving life, riches, fruitfulness or plenty (Gen 1:22, 28).

2. People “bless” God-for the purposes of worship, adoration and praise (Deut. 8:10; Ps 101:1, 2 etc.).

3. Those in positions of power and authority and holy leaders can bestow blessings on others: patriarchs pronounced benefits on their children, often when near death (Gen 49:1-28). Leaders often blessed people, especially when getting ready to leave them- e.g. Moses (Deut 33); Joshua (22:6-7); and Jesus (Luke: 24:50).

4. Equals can bless each other in friendship (Gen 12:3); support and to establish connections and links with people who are special. We “bless” ourselves with the sign of the cross.

5. People can bless things when they are set aside for sacred use. (1Cor:10:16)

Prayer and Meditation Practices in Year Five

V. Heartfelt Blessings

Another mindfulness practice is the sending of loving blessings to people who may need them. One thinks of them, pictures those people in one’s mind and then mentally blesses them. This is a practical development of just saying: “I’m thinking of you”. It also increases our mindfulness- we end up actively seeking out people who might need our blessings!

A further development of this- in the spirit of peace and reconciliation is also to think of people we do not like and send a blessing to them.

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The Lord bless you and keep you;25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers 6: 24-26)

Heart-full Blessings: Unleashing the power of the universe!

Say:

Today we are going to visualise and pray for people we know and love, who may benefit from this heart-full message we send them now. When we next meet them, it would be great to tell them what we have done!

First, let’s enter stillness and silence in the usual way. Assume the posture for meditation and begin to slow your breathing. We will do this for two minutes…….

Now, think of and bring to mind people you love. Picture them, one by one, and “send” a blessing to them: It may be as simple as “Bless you for being my mum”; or “May God bless you

Prayers to be Taught in Year FiveI. The Hail Mary

The Hail Mary, traditionally known as the Ave Maria, is a Biblical prayer. In the first half, the words are directly from the Gospel of St. Luke, while the second half reflects what this could mean to us, praying Christians in the Body of Christ, pondering these things in our hearts.

The account of the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she is to be the mother of our Savior is familiar to all Christians. We find here the first elements of the Ave Maria. The angel’s words are "Hail, full of grace," (Luke 1:28).

What does it mean to be greeted as one "full of grace"? At the very least, Mary is highly favored by having been chosen to bear the Son of the Most High. The Latin translation using "full" points to the overflowing abundance and perfection involved. God Himself will dwell in her womb, the Creator will come into the world. The Holy Spirit will overshadow and dwell in her. It is all of grace. By this grace, Mary is special and blessed. The Church’s reflections over the centuries have their root in these words of the angel Gabriel, sent from God. She teaches us to look to Mary for our model of what we ourselves hope to become by God’s fullness of grace.

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Heart-full Blessings: Unleashing the power of the universe!

Say:

Today we are going to visualise and pray for people we know and love, who may benefit from this heart-full message we send them now. When we next meet them, it would be great to tell them what we have done!

First, let’s enter stillness and silence in the usual way. Assume the posture for meditation and begin to slow your breathing. We will do this for two minutes…….

Now, think of and bring to mind people you love. Picture them, one by one, and “send” a blessing to them: It may be as simple as “Bless you for being my mum”; or “May God bless you

Mary, and we too, have the next words of the angel to assure us of His help in this. "The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). How many times in salvation history have servants of God heard these words? In Genesis 26:24, the Lord appears to Isaac, saying, "Fear not, for I am with you". The Lord God promises to be with Jacob (Gen. 31:3), with Moses (Exod. 3:12), with Joshua (Joshua 1:5), and with Gideon (Judges 6:16). Jesus Himself tells his accusers, "He who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him"(John 8:29). The Lord will be with Paul in the city where He has many people (Acts 18:10). This is His promise to the Church in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always." And in Revelation 21:3, a great voice tells us, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself will be with them." The Lord is with Mary, according to the angel, and we know He is with us. His assistance in the Old Testament has been brought to great fulfillment by His very presence with Mary in her womb. "The Lord is with you," has been a pregnant phrase throughout salvation history. And now in the Church, His real presence is with us in His Eucharist.

"Blessed art thou among women," says the prayer, in the words of Elizabeth (Luke 1:42). All the promises of blessing in the Old Testament are fulfilled with the coming of the Savior. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, continues, "and blessed is the fruit of your womb". Mary is blessed because of her child, Son of the Most High. Elizabeth recognizes this, saying in astonishment, "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43). Both Mary and Elizabeth are pregnant miraculously, by the grace of God, emphasizing to us that our life in God is all of grace, all by His willing and doing. We, too, are totally dependent on His grace, His mighty acts, his fulfilling of promises. In the Incarnation, Mary is blessed to have the God of the universe dwell in her womb. In the Church, we are graced to receive in the Eucharist His presence, His very body, the fruit of Mary’s womb.

The scriptural first half of the prayer ends with the name of Jesus (Luke 1:31). We are told in Acts that "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Mary rejoices in God her Savior, and all generations shall call her blessed. Like Mary, we are to rejoice in God’s salvation through Jesus. Like Mary, we are blessed in the Son of the Most High. And like her, we are to be conformed to his image. "For those whom He foreknew, He also pre destined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the first-born among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). Catholics believe that Mary’s sinlessness is due only and completely to the grace of her Savior, her Son. She did not earn this great privilege, but was prepared by His saving grace to shine as a promise of what we will be, when "we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2).

The second half of the prayer is a prayer of the Body of Christ, His Church. "Holy Mary," we pray. When we call anyone or any thing holy, it is because of its relationship to God, who is "Holy, holy, holy" (Isaiah 6:3, Rev. 4:8). Vessels for the temple were considered holy because they were set aside for sacred use. We call the Bible the "Holy Bible," because it is the word of God. People become holy when they become close to God. Mary listened to the angel’s message, and she answered humbly, "Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). She carried Jesus in her womb and gave birth to Him, she nursed Him and lived side by side with Him. Her holiness comes from her relationship to God. She responded freely and with total faith, giving herself completely to God. "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38). Her obedience of faith (cf. Rom. 16:25) made her holy. Her nearness to her Son made her holy. Our nearness and obedience to Her Son is to make us holy. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who

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called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, since it is written ‘You shall be holy because I am holy’" (1 Peter 1:14-16).

Mary can rightly be called holy, but what about addressing a prayer to her? As members of the communion of saints, we often ask fellow believers here on earth to pray for us. Catholic faith sees that those who have gone before us are nonetheless truly alive in Christ, "... who died for us, so that whether we wake or sleep, we might live with Him" (1 Th. 5:10). Therefore, it is appropriate to ask for their prayers, also. When we ask the Saints in heaven to pray for us, we are not offering them worship. "Praying to" the saints means asking them to pray for us, not worshipping them as divine.

So we pray, "Holy Mary, Mother of God." Mary’s title, Mother of God, does not mean she existed before God and brought Him into existence; it does not mean He is dependent upon her. The title grew out of the Church’s struggle against the Arian heresy in the fourth century. The Arians denied that Jesus was God. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 declared that Mary was the "God-bearer" (Theotokos) as a way of teaching that Jesus was truly God. They intended to teach about Jesus, but they also taught about Mary. Jesus is truly God. If Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then she is the mother of God. He is one person, and she is His mother, and so she is the mother of God. In this way, Jesus is recognized as both Son of God and Son of Man. The Protestant heretical "Reformers" also accepted this title of Mary, for example in the Lutheran Formula of Concord (1577).

"Pray for us sinners." Here we come back to the issue of praying to saints. We, saints and sinners, are all in this Body of Christ together, whether we are living or "dead," because we all are united in Christ by the same Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit made us saints, and also perfected our brothers and sisters, the Saints in heaven. Although we seem to be separated by both space and time, in Him we are united as members of Christ. There is no big difference between asking a breathing saint beside us to pray for us, and asking St. Francis de Sales or Mary to pray for us. We are all in Christ. He is alive, and we are all alive in Him.

Protestants are not accustomed to addressing anyone but God in prayer. That’s why, at first, praying to saints may seem idolatrous to them, even when a Catholic explains that we are really just asking—to pray means to ask—we are asking the saints to pray FOR us. But if one really thinks about it carefully one will find that to ask for prayers from Saints in Heaven are really no different then when a Protestant asks his friends to pray for him on Earth. For if one can ask his relatives or friends to pray for him on Earth, how much more can we then not ask our friends in Heaven? Catholics know Mary is not God. She is not the Savior. She is not the ONE Mediator. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man; we can always approach Him.[1] He loves us tenderly. He also loves Mary tenderly. She is, like each of us, a member of His Church, embodying for all of us the prayerful posture, "Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). She is a living example to us of receiving all the grace He desires to give us. She stands with us, in the Church, receiving grace upon grace. She also stands as our example of how powerful the grace of Christ is. She is the new Eve, the new Ark, the pure vessel, the sealed gate, and the Mother of God. To fail to have devotion to her is equivalent to a man in the Old Testament who would refuse to venerate the Ark of the Covenant or would refuse to march behind it to a battle. Such a man would fall prey to the enemies of God and would be separated from the camp of God’s people.

"Now and at the hour of our death. Amen." This is God’s eternal now, in which our deaths, too, are present to Him. In Catholic faith, the communion of saints includes all the members of the Body,

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past, present, and future (to us) who are being built together by Him into a holy temple (cf. Eph.2:22), our prayers for one another being an aspect of each part working properly (cf. Eph.4:16). The prayers of Mary and the saints are certainly to be counted among those of the righteous, which we always need (cf. James 5:16). The first half of the Hail Mary, then, is directly from Scripture. The second half is simply putting into practice what Scripture teaches about our life in the Body of Christ, which is His Church. As we pray this beautiful prayer, may we behold the glory of the Lord in his presence with us and, like Mary, be "changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:18).

[1]. It must be made clear that the Catholic Church in no way teaches that the saints are mediators in the special sense used in 1 Timothy 2:5. Because of the Incarnation, Jesus has a unique role as mediator. Since he is the only one who is God and man, the only contact point between us and the Father, only he is capable of bridging the chasm of sin that separates us from God. No saint can take Christ's place as mediator. The Catholic Church does not teach that any Christian is a mediator in the sense used in 1 Timothy 2:5. It teaches instead that all Christians are intercessors who, because of Christ's mediatorship, are able to pray for each other.(The official Catholic position on this issue appears in Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, Session V ("Decree on Original Sin"), 25-28, Session XXV ("Decree on the Invocation of Saints")) http://www.st-mary.info/hail-mary.php

I. The Rosary

It is usually suggested that the rosary began as a practice by the laity to imitate the monastic Office (Breviary or Liturgy of the Hours), by which monks prayed the 150 Psalms. The laity, many of whom could not read, substituted 50 or 150 Ave Marias for the Psalms. Sometimes a cord with counters on it was used to keep an accurate count.

The first clear historical reference to the rosary, however, is from the life of St. Dominic (+1221), the founder of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. He preached a form of the rosary in France at the time that the Albigensian heresy was devastating the faith there. Tradition has it that the Blessed Mother herself asked for the practice as an antidote for heresy and sin.

One of Dominic's future disciples, Alain de Roche, began to establish Rosary Confraternities to promote the praying of the rosary. The form of the rosary we have today is believed to date from his time. Over the centuries the saints and popes have highly recommended the rosary, the greatest prayer in the Church after the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours. Not surprisingly, its most active promoters have been Dominicans.

Rosary means a crown of roses, a spiritual bouquet given to the Blessed Mother. It is sometimes called the Dominican Rosary, to distinguish it from other rosary-like prayers (e.g. Franciscan Rosary of the Seven Joys, Servite Rosary of the Seven Sorrows). It is also, in a general sense, a form of chaplet or corona (also referring to a crown), of which there are many varieties in the Church. Finally, in English it has been called "Our Lady's Psalter" or "the beads." This last derives from an Old English word for prayers (bede) and to request (biddan or bid).

There are many variations on praying the rosary. To use the Rosary as a meditation, students can use the words and the beads; or just the beads themselves to regulate their breathing. It is, after all, the repetition that is important in creating a sense of stillness and calmness. Students who may not want to pray Marian prayers can simply follow the class prayer by moving from bead to bead. Some may feel free to breathe in “Mary” and “pray for us” on the out- breath. Others may use each bead to use a mantra such as “Abba” and “Father”; or “Jesus”, “Lord” using both beads and breath.

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1. Litany of Mary of Nazareth for Meditation

Because of their repetitive nature, litanies can also create a meditative state and students can also use beads to assist their focus. The litany of Mary of Nazareth can be used with beads and the mantras as a form of guided meditation. Music could be used as part of the prayer experience.

2. The Litany of Mary

Mother of God We honour and praise you

Mother of the Church We honour and praise you

Mother of Jesus We honour and praise you

Mother of all We honour and praise you

Mary most faithful Teach us to be like you

Mary most loving Teach us to be like you

Mary most gentle Teach us to be like you

Mary most kind Teach us to be like you

Woman of strength Show us the way

Woman of goodness Show us the way

Woman of justice Show us the way

Woman of compassion Show us the way

Woman who listened Remember us to God

Woman who suffered Remember us to God

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Rosary Beads for Meditation

Today, we are going to use the rosary beads for meditation, not simply reciting the Rosary. The beads will help us regulate our breathing- we simply move along each bead as we breathe in, hold the breath and then breathe out.

We start with the “Our Father” bead with “Abba” on the in breath and “Father” on the out breath.

Then we take 10 breaths in and out- slowly. We may use ‘Hail Mary” on the in breath and “Holy Mary” on the out breath. Or, we can use “Jesus” on the in breath and “Lord “on the out breath.

When we come to the “Glory Be” bead, we can use the mantra “bless me”, “bless us”.

We can practise this aloud and then silently.

Woman who wondered Remember us to God

Woman who loved Remember us to God

3. Hail Mary Litany

Hail Mary,

Source of peace...

Model of strength...

Model of gentleness...

Model of patience...

Woman of mercy...

Widowed mother...Political refugee...Woman, centred in God...

Woman of wisdom and understanding...

Holy Mary,

Source of peace...

Model of strength...

Model of gentleness...Model of patience...

Woman of mercy...

Widowed mother..

Political refugee...Woman, centred in God...

Woman of wisdom and understanding...

Prayers and Rituals for use in Year Six1. The Our Father

Pray Then in This Way: John Dominic Crossan Reflects on the Our Father

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Pray for us

Be our guide

Transform us

Empower us

Pray to God for us

Pray for us

Be our guide

Transform us

Empower us

Pray to God for us

1. Crossan maintains that the earliest form of the Lord’s Prayer was simply the phrase “Abba, the Father.” What does this simple phrase mean, as a prayer, to you? What if this was the entire prayer—would it be effective? Why or why not?

2. Do you agree that a “mature prayer life” means moving from request and gratitude to empowerment? How have you worked towards this in your own life?

3. Crossan states that this prayer and a commitment to distributive justice are inseparable—like two sides of a coin. He argues that Jesus, like Paul, teaches that we are “heirs of God”—that is, we have a co-responsibility to help run God’s world and make sure everyone/thing has enough.

How does this outlook change how you view the world and your role in it? Is this responsibility empowering? Intimidating?

Chapter 2:

Our Father in Heaven

1. If you pray the Lord’s Prayer, has the male-dominated language tripped you up in the past? Why or why not?

Does Crossan’s explanation of the inclusive nature of the word “Father” help you?

2. Crossan says that the best way to think of what the biblical writers meant by “Our Father in Heaven” is as “Householder of the Earth”—he who takes care of the earth and everything on it. How does this change your conception of God? How does this change how you understand God’s role in the world?

3. On page 49, Crossan says, “What happens to God and what happens to us are interactive, reciprocal, and collaborative.” How do you feel about this? Is it presumptuous or empowering to say that God can’t, or won’t, effect change without us?

Chapter 3:

Hallowed Be Your Name

1. Crossan argues that God is holy because he seeks justice for all. How does this change how we might “make holy” God’s name?

Chapter 4:

Your Kingdom Come

1. When you have prayed “Your kingdom come” in the past—what did you mean? Were you thinking God’s kingdom here on earth, or a heavenly kingdom in the future? Does Crossan’s interpretation of how Jesus might have meant “kingdom” as a nonviolent, present, and collaborative state, change the way in which you will pray these words?

2. Read again Desmond Tutu’s quote on page 94: “God without us, will not; as we, without God, cannot.” What role, then, do humans play in God’s work according to Tutu’s prayer?

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Do you think God works collaboratively with us? How does this change our conception of how we live?

Chapter 5:

Your Will Be Done on Earth

1. Crossan argues that what is wrong with the world (sin) is the natural “consequence” of injustice rather than being a violation that needs to be atoned for in order to escape divine “punishment.” Can you think of ways in which sin and its punishment works as consequence”?

2. If God is not seen primarily as the judge and punisher of sin and more as the restorer of justice and harmony, how might this change how and where we see God being active in the world? What do you think you might be asking for when you prayer for God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven”?

Chapter 6:

Give Us Our Daily Bread

1. In Chapter 6, Crossan argues that “daily bread” calls up all the bread and fish stories scattered throughout the Gospels—the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus directing fishermen where to fish, the Last Supper—all emphasizing that God’s plan is for a just distribution of food so that no one has to worry about hunger, today and including all tomorrows. How does this change where you look for answers when you pray “give us this day our daily bread”? What does “food” or “bread” symbolize for you? How do you connect God and “our daily bread”?

Chapter 7:

Forgive Us Our Debts

1. The biblical notion of “debt” is tied closely to “slavery” and the hope of redemption and freedom. Crossan argues that Jesus’s call for the forgiveness of “debts” should be taken literally. God’s justice, as embodied in his redemption of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, calls for the forgiveness of our debts and our pledge to forgive the debts of others. When you imagine yourself free from all your debts, what comes to mind? Why is being forgiven our debts connected to forgiving the debts of others? What would it look like in your life to live by this prayer more fully?

Chapter 8:

Lead Us Not into Temptation

1. Most people think of temptation as an immoral inclination to do an evil act. But Crossan argues that “temptation” has a precise meaning, in this context, of using violence—even if your goal is a good and noble one. In that light, how does this portion of the prayer change its meaning for you? Likewise, what does it mean for you to ask to be “rescued from the evil one”? What does a commitment to nonviolence mean to you?

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Epilogue

1. How has your view of the Lord’s Prayer changed after reading this book? How has it changed what you believe you are praying for when you recite these ancient words?

2. Crossan calls the Lord’s Prayer “a hymn of hope” and a “revolutionary manifesto.” What does each phrase mean to you? Do you agree with those descriptions? Why or why not?

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How often do I praise or thank God for all the good things that happen to me every day? Do I recognise that God is my constant companion present in good and bad times? When are the points in the day when I can stop and say: “Thank you, God, for my life”?

What picture of God do I hold in my head? When, at the point of my death, I come “face to face” with God, what do I expect to encounter?

Where/what is “heaven” for me?

May your name be praised by people everywhere!

Our Father, our Mother,in whom is heaven

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How do I, as a follower of Jesus, help bring about a world built on what God wants it to be? How am I an instrument of justice, peace and compassionate living?

May the way we live on earth reflect the way life is in your presence!

If I am called to be a steward of God’s creation on earth, how am I helping God’s dream come about? Am I being part of the solution for creating a “new heaven and a new earth” or am I part of the problem? What must I do? What must I be/become?

May your dream for how the world should be, come about!

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Does this mean that if we do not forgive our neighbour, we do not expect God to forgive us?

Are their people in my life whom I have not forgiven or feel I cannot forgive? Has God forgiven them? Where does that leave me?

Forgive us when we fail you and we will forgive those who fail us

The prayer is not “give me” but “give us”. For those of us who have far more than we need to live comfortably each day, does this not mean we have an obligation to share our excess? Are we not praying: “Take away our selfishness and greed?” What is one thing I can do in God’s name to help this prayer be answered for every human on the planet?

Give us enough for our needs each day

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Who or what could cause me evil? How can God possibly protect me from it? In asking God to protect me from it, what do I have to do so as not to put myself in the way of evil in the first place? Is evil always awful or can it be seductive and even attractive?

And protect us from the power of all that is evil.

How often do we ask God for guidance? Is it possible to build into our lives that pause, that stopping before we act or speak and insert into that pause a prayer for guidance or inspiration?

Be our sure and steady guide when we face temptation

The Lord's Prayer Drama: A way to reflect on the prayerCharacters

Person (seen) God (unseen)

Stage Setting No particular setting is necessary, but it is good if the person could sit on a chair and lean on

a table that has a Bible on it. ScriptPerson: Our Father, who... God: Yes? Person: Please don't interrupt me! I'm praying. God: But you called me. Person: Called you? I didn't call you. I was praying. Our Father who art in heaven... God: There, you did it again. Person: Did what? God: Called me. You said, "Our Father who art in heaven." Here I am. What's on your mind? Person: But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, sort of like getting a job done. God: All right. Go on. Person: Hallowed be thy name... God: Hold it! What do you mean by that? Person: By what? God: By "hallowed be thy name"? Person: It means...it means.... Good grief! How should I know what it means? It's just part of the prayer. (pause) By the way, what does it mean? God: It means honoured, holy, wonderful. Person: Ah, that makes sense. I never thought about what hallowed meant before. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God: Do you really mean that? Person: Of course! Why not? God: What are you going to do about it? Person: Do? Nothing, I suppose. I just think it would be rather good it you got control of things down here the way you have up there. God: Have I got control of you? Person: Well, I go to church. God: That isn't what I asked you. What about that bad temper? You've really got a problem there you know! Person: Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of those hypocrites down at the church! God: Excuse me, but I thought you were praying for my will to be done? If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like you, for example. Person: Oh, all right! I guess I do have a few hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I probably could name some others. God: So could I. Person: I haven't thought about it much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I really would like to know how to be free.

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God: Good! Now we're getting somewhere! We'll work together, you and I. Some real victories can be won. I'm proud of you! Person: Look, Lord, I need to finish this up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does! Give us this day our daily bread . God: You need to cut out the bread you're a little overweight as it is! Person: Hey! Wait a minute! What is this? Here I am doing my religious duty and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my faults! God: Praying is a dangerous thing. You could end up changed, you know. That's what I'm trying to bring across to you. You called me, and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep on praying. I'm interested in the next part of your prayer. (Pause) Well. go on! Person: I'm scared to... God: Scared of what? Person: I know what you'll say! God: Try me and see. Person: Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. God: What about Peter Brown? Person: See! I knew you would bring him up! Why, Lord he told lies about me, and he cheated me out of some money. I swear that I'll get even with him. God: But your prayer. What about your prayer? Person: I didn't mean it. God: Well, at least you're honest! But it's not much fun carrying around that load of bitterness inside, is it? Person: No, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even! Have I got some plans for old Peter! God: You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you really are. But I'll change all that. Person: You will? How? God: Forgive Peter. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin will be Peter's problem and not yours. You may lose the money, but you will have settled your heart. Person: It doesn't sound easy, but deep down, I know it would be worth the effort. Thank you, Lord, for helping me work through this. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. AMEN.

This document copyright (c) 1995 by Mathew Pole. Reproduction and/or distribution for non-commercial purposes is permissible providing that the drama is left fully intact. Permission is given to modify the drama for personal use, under the condition that the changes are not redistributed. Please send additions or corrections to Mathew and Paulyn Pole (mathew.paulyn@iname.com)Last changed: Saturday 12 August 1995

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Prayers and Rituals for Use in Year SevenI. The Sign of the Cross.

For background on the Sign of the Cross, see this section in the Prep notes.

II. The Our Father

For background notes and activities for the Our Father, see the notes and activities for Year Six.

III. The Hail Mary

For background notes on the Hail Mary, see this section in Year Five.

Prayers and Rituals for Use in Year Eight

I. The Liturgy of the Hours or Prayer of the Church

From earliest times, the Church has prayed according to the rhythm of the day – morning and evening are the times that are ‘ripe for prayer’; they are the ‘hinges’ on which the rhythm of daily prayer turn! This prayer is a liturgy of time – it is ‘time made holy’ and is based on the Church’s long tradition of praying at certain times of the day, morning, noon, evening and night time. Those praying this prayer are praying as the Church, the Body of Christ and are praying on behalf of all peoples – hence its power to unite the praying community with all peoples of the world.

It follows a particular pattern of Psalms, Scripture readings and intercessions. The usual structure is as follows:

Invitation to Prayer Hymn Psalm (s) Scripture Reading Gospel Canticle (Morning-Canticle of Zechariah; Evening-Canticle of

Mary) Intercessions The Lord’s Prayer Concluding Prayer Blessing

This structure may be adapted for use with children, but its essential elements are Psalms, Scripture reading and intercessions.

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Activity:

Students in learning teams of three or four, choose Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours – The Divine Office provided below. Alternatively, students could pray and study the Divine Office for that day. Students read the prayer communally. Students complete an outline of the prayer including the major headings and prayers identified. Students list some of the advantages of saying this style of prayer. Students search out the origins of the prayer and how it has developed.

Morning Prayer Tuesdays of Advent to 16 Dec

Evening Prayer Tuesdays of Advent to 16 Dec

Invitatory antiphon Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.

Invitatory antiphon Let us adore the Lord, the king who is to come.

Hymn: Hear the herald voice resounding:‘Christ is near’, it seems to say,‘Cast away the dreams of darkness,Welcome Christ, the light of day!’

HymnCreator of the stars of night,The people’s everlasting light,Redeemer, Saviour of us all O hear your servants when they call.

Scripture Reading Gen 49:10The sceptre shall not pass from Judah, nor the mace from between his feet, until the day when he who is to be sent to us, comes: he, the hope of the nations.

Scripture Reading 1 Cor 1:7b-9You wait expectantly for our Lord Jesus Christ to reveal himself. He will keep you firm to the end, without reproach on the Day of our Lord Jesus. It is God himself who called you to share in the life of his Son.

Short ResponsoryResponse R The Glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you. Repeat RHis glory will appear in your midst. RGlory Be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; as it was, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. R

Short ResponsoryResponse R Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty. Repeat RLet you face shine on us and we shall be safe. RGlory Be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; as it was, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. R

Benedictus Antiphon Week 2Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Sion. Behold, I am coming to live in you midst, says the Lord.

Magnificat Antiphon Week 2Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near, alleluia.

Intercessions: Week 2In a world divided by fear and greed, the Church calls again on the Saviour.

Intercessions: Week 2Let us ask our Father to save us from our sins and send us forward into new life.

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R Lord Jesus, come to us in love.Help us to set our hearts where they will find fulfilment and not betrayal. R Lord Jesus, come to us in love.As we proclaim your saving power to others, let us not ourselves lose hold of your salvation.R Lord Jesus, come to us in love.May our world be flooded with the grace of your coming: let us experience the fullness of your joy. R Lord Jesus, come to us in love.May we live our lives to the full in this world and transfigure it with the hope of future glory. R Lord Jesus, come to us in love.Our FatherOur Father who art in heavenHallowed be thy nameThy kingdom comeThy will be doneOn earth as it is in heavenGive us this day our daily breadAnd forgive us our trespassesAs we forgive those you trespass against us.Lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil.

For the Kingdom the power and the Glory are yoursNow and forever. Amen

R Father, may your Son bring us freedom.The Baptist preached a change of heart: free us from self-satisfaction.R Father, may your Son bring us freedom. The Pharisees refused the Baptist’s witness to the coming of your Son: free us from fear of the truth. R Father, may your Son bring us freedom.The Baptist was glad to make way for him: free us from pride. R Father, may your Son bring us freedom.The dead longed for life: free them from death. R Father, may your Son bring us freedom.

Our FatherOur Father who art in heavenHallowed be thy nameThy kingdom comeThy will be doneOn earth as it is in heavenGive us this day our daily breadAnd forgive us our trespassesAs we forgive those you trespass against us.Lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil.

For the Kingdom the power and the Glory are yoursNow and forever. Amen

Concluding PrayerLord God,All the ends of the earth have seen your salvation.Give us the grace to await with joyThe glorious day of our Saviour’s birth.(We make our prayer) through our Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Concluding PrayerLord God,All the ends of the earth have seen your salvation.Give us the grace to await with joyThe glorious day of our Saviour’s birth.(We make our prayer) through our Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayers and Rituals for use in Year NineI. Sayings of Mary MacKillop

Attitude Towards Others

Try at least to excuse what you cannot understand and bear in mind that you have only to answer for your own faults. (1877)

Have patience with yourselves when you see that you have failed and patience with others when they seem to have done so. (1874)

Let us show love in our acts, bearing with one another. Forgiving and forgetting. (1890)

Many things we condemn are pleasing to God because God sees the motives. (1907)

Always remember to love one another. (1888)

Do not be hasty in judging one another. (1878)

Try at least to excuse what you cannot understand. (1877)

Put kind constructions where you can and where you can't be silent. (1878)

Forgive from your heart everyone who has pained you. (1890)

Bear with one another, help one another. (1873)

Judge not, leaving that most painful duty to those appointed for it.

If we cannot excuse anything we can at least excuse the intention. (1884)

Try to excuse what you cannot understand. (1877)

Bear in mind that you have only to answer for your own faults. (1874)

There must be gentleness towards the erring of others. (1871)

Forgiveness is love. (1871)

Try to be blind to the faults of those around you. (1877)

Attitude Towards Self

Be calm and full of hope. (1871)

Let not your crosses make you unhappy. (1890)

We must look before us; do what we do well and refuse undertaking too much. (1898)

Our courage needs to rise with difficulties and obstacles. (1890)

Try always to be generous. (1882)

Keep young as long as you can. (1874)

Let us all have courage. (1874)

Of ourselves we can never be sure that all that looks good is really so. (1875)

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Never be ashamed of work done for God and for God's poor. (1874)

Work with constancy and courage. (1876)

No duty is too little to be done well. (1873)

Be faithful in the least as well as the great. (1873)

Do all you can to work on in unity. (1882)

Let not weakness make you discouraged. (1876)

We must take things quietly and just do what our good God enables us to do. (1875)

No matter what your shortcomings you shall certainly succeed in the end. (1874)

When a duty is clear to me it must be done at any cost. (1899)

True happiness depends on ourselves not on those around us. (1907)

Attitude Towards God

Prayer is our great weapon. (1907)

God will provide for the future. (1907)

I must only trust in the mercies of God. (1867)

God loves each one of one of us not withstanding our faults. (1874)

With God on our side what need we fear? (1890)

Lean more on God and less on ourselves. (1877)

God’s ways and ours are so different. (1878)

Never is God nearer to us than when danger threatens. (1880)

If men and women forget, God does not. (1884)

Courage, courage trust in God who helps you in all things. (1874)

God will draw good out of evil. (1874)

When I could not see my way God kept my heart full of trust to make all come right. (1874)

God’s love is too deep for words to express. (1874)

A certain sense of God’s wonderful love strengthens me. (1873)

God wants us to take fresh courage. (1877)

God understands us better than we understand ourselves or each other. (1877)

God is good and merciful. (1870)

Trust in God. (1874)

God helps us walk on water like St. Peter until he began to fear. (1890)

I can never think of God but as one of such tenderness that cannot be cast off. (1890)

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God’s will be done. (1898)

Other Sayings

We must teach more by example than by word.(1867)

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. (1907)

There where you are you will find God. (1871)

So great is the strength we possess in our unity. (1874)

Keep your mind in peace whatever happens. (1890)

Let us never admit grades of distinctions we are all humble followers of Christ.

Be eager in your desires but patient in their accomplishment.

Never see a need without trying to do something about it.

II. Sayings of Mother Catherine McAuley

Our centre is God, from whom all our activities should spring.

The only return God requires of us for all his favours is a return of love.

Try to act so at all times, and in all places, that if our Divine Lord were to appear on earth again, He might not be ashamed to point you out.

Through love of God, we should refrain from saying, doing, or thinking anything which we know to be displeasing to him.

Be ever ready to praise, to encourage, to stimulate, but slow to censure, and still more slow to condemn.

Let us fit young women for earth without unfitting them for heaven.

While we place all our confidence in God, we must always act as if success depended on our own exertions.

It is better to help a hundred impostors, if there be any such, than to suffer one really distressed person to be sent away empty.

Mercy receives the ungrateful again and again, and is never weary in pardoning them.

Each day is a step we make towards eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the last step, which will bring us into the presence of God

It is a special favour of God to be made the servants of his suffering poor.

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By our vocation we are engaged to comfort and instruct the sick poor of Christ. This is the principal reason why we are Sisters of Mercy

One thing is remarkable: no breach of charity ever occurred among us. The sun never, I believe, went down on our anger. This is our only boast.

You must waste time with people. A good beginning is of great importance.

We must not make too many laws. If we pull the strings too tight, they will break.

We should never falter in our confidence that God will make all things turn to the best.It is God's will that everyone called to His service should be happy.

We have one solid hope of happiness in our journeying - we can keep our hearts fixed on God.If we don't take Tullamore, no other community will.

Prayer can do more than all the money in the bank of Ireland. Let us pray well and never grow weary.It is for God we serve the poor, not thanks

In silence and quiet the devout soul becomes familiar with GodTry to meet all with peace and ease

You must be cheerful and happy, animating all around you.

The comfort comes soon after a well received trial

Prayer is a plant, the seed of which must be nourished or it will die.

While we place all our confidence in God, we must act as if all depended on ourselves.Since very little good can be accomplished without money, we must look after it in small as well as in great matters.

See how quietly the great God does all his mighty works.

No work of charity can be more productive of good to society than the careful instruction of women.Put you whole confidence in God, he will never see you want.

The only action God requires of us for all his favours is a return of love.

Let us take one day only in hands at a time. Resolve to do good today and better tomorrow.Our name is Mercy; our spirit is compassion.

Our hearts can always be in the same place, centered on God.Mercy...pardons again and again.

I have great confidence in you to do what you think best. State your opinion and always act with courage.

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We should be as shining lamps, giving light to all around us.

Since very little good can be accomplished without money, we must look after it in small as well as in great matters.

We have one solid comfort amidst this little tripping about, our hearts can always be in the same place, centered in God, for whom alone we go forward or stay back.

Let us fit the young women for earth without unfitting them for heaven.

Draw people to God by your words, by your example and by the works of Mercy.

No matter how small the gift, God gives the increase.

Do all you can for God, because time is short.

Compassion should be our animating principle when undertaking instruction with children and adults, since they are made in God's image.

The poor need help today, not next week. The truest poverty consists in seeing that our wants are scantily supplied and rejoicing in the scantiness.

Sadness destroys and undermines union with God.

Sadness is an enemy to devotion

May God bless and animate you with his own divine spirit

I. Catherine McAuley’s Prayers

Suscipe Perhaps the best known prayer of Catherine McAuley is one she called her Suscipe or Act of Resignation. My God, I am yours for time and eternity. Teach me to cast myself entirely into the arms of your loving Providence with a lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity. Grant, O most merciful Redeemer, That whatever you ordain or permit may be acceptable to me. Take from my heart all painful anxiety; let nothing sadden me but sin, nothing delight me but the hope of coming to the possession of You my God and my all, in your everlasting kingdom. Amen.

Children’s SuscipeMy God, I will belong to You forever. Teach me to trust in You because I know you love me and will always be near me. Help me always to obey You even when it is hard. Take from my heart all fear.

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Help me never to be sad, but always joyful, knowing that You are my God and that someday I will be with You in heaven. Amen.

Morning Consecration O compassionate Jesus, look on me today with tenderness and give me the grace to walk on the path of mercy marked out for those who follow you. May all I do today reflect your merciful love. Amen

Prayer Before Meditation

Come, Holy Spirit, dwell in our hearts and kindle in them the fire of your divine love. O eternal God, grant to us, we beseech you, the fullness of your divine Spirit and give us openness to the inspirations of your grace. Help us to put aside every thought and concern that may distract us from your holy presence. Through the life and death of Jesus Christ and through the intercession of Mary and all the saints, we sincerely ask that this prayer may glorify you and bring us to salvation. Amen.

Act of Consecration

God of my heart, my whole desire is in loving you. I give myself to you without reserve.

I consecrate to you my heart. Receive it as an offering of love and unite it to your heart. I desire to dwell with you all my days.

I consecrate to you my will. May it be joined to yours in all things. May my deepest desire be to do what is pleasing to you. May your Spirit guide me in the way of obedience and may selfish desires not find a home in me.

I consecrate to you my understanding. May I see with your eyes and choose what is life-giving. May I forego all that is false and passing that I may embrace what is true and enduring. Let me desire the good and all that brings the good to birth. May your grace bring my desire to realization.

I consecrate to you my memory. Let me always remember your goodness and beauty. I shall take delight in remembering your favors - the love and mercy you have shown to me. May my heart be forever grateful.

I consecrate to you my body. Make me a worthy dwelling for your Spirit, Jesus. I give you all that I am and I accept whatever limitations, sickness, sorrows and death will be mine. Let me desire what you desire. No matter how painful the cross that is mine to carry, I receive it with confidence in your strength and grace. May I accept it with lively gratitude and carry it with joy and constancy. May the words of St. Paul strengthen me; "With Christ I am nailed to the cross."

I consecrate to you all that I may ever possess in goods, influence or status. All is yours. Do with me what you will. I consecrate to you all that I can - joys, sorrows, life and death - to offer you my love and to witness to others the joy of loving you. May I serve you with devotion, relying on the help of your grace. May I be yours without reserve until the last moment of my life. Amen.

Thirty Days Prayer

It was Catherine McAuley's custom to pray two Thirty Days' Prayers in times of need, for benefactors and co-workers and at the establishment of a new foundation. The following is an adaptation of the prayers.

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Merciful Jesus, you inspired in Catherine McAuley a lively conviction of your enduring love. In times of need she and her companions faithfully entreated your help, and they were never disappointed. In this same confident spirit we come to you now.

Because you walked among us, you know our human experience. You have shared our joys and sorrows. You have healed and comforted us, sustained and renewed us. Be with us now in this time of need. Let us experience your loving presence as you grant us this favor we ask of you:

We also ask your blessing on our living and deceased family members, our sisters in community, our associates, companions and benefactors. Show them your loving kindness.

Encouraged by your care for us, we will with lively fidelity devote ourselves to the works of mercy. Through our good works, may your people experience your unceasing care for them. We ask all this through the intercession of Mary, your mother and the mother of Mercy. Amen.

More Prayers which capture the charism of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy can be found here.

II. Prayer of St Don Bosco

Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christian,how sweet it is to come to your feetimploring your perpetual help.If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can you, the most loving of all mothers forget me?Grant then to me, I implore you, your perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow, and especially in all my temptations.I ask for your unceasing help for all who are now suffering. Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners.Grant through your intercessions many vocations to the religious life. Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians,that having invoked you on earth we may love and eternally thank you in heaven.

III. Characteristics of Don Bosco’s Prayer

Article 86 of Salesian constitutions says that “Salesian prayer is joyful and creative, simple and profound. It lends itself to community participation, is drawn from life and flows back to it”. It clearly expresses the attitude and the characteristics of Don Bosco’s own prayer. Thus, Don Bosco’s Prayer is characterized by: 1) A Prayer of Easter Joy 2) A Creative Prayer that sprang from his Commitment 3) A Profound Sacramental Prayer 4) A Simple Prayer 5) A Marian Prayer.

IV. Nano Nagle sayings

By degrees, with the assistance of God, we may do a great deal.“

"The Almighty is all sufficient.“

"If I could be of service in any part of the world, I would willingly do all in my power.“

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"It is all in the power of the Almighty, we do not know what is best for us and ought to be resigned to the Divine Will.“

“The Almighty makes use of the weakest means to bring about His works.“

I. The Penitential Act

Form A: Confiteor

I confess to almighty God And to you, my brothers and sisters, That I have greatly sinned In my thoughts and in my words, In what I have done and in what I have Failed to do, Through my fault, through my fault, Through my most grievous fault; Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, All the Angels and Saints, And you, my brothers and sisters, To pray for me to the Lord our God. –

Form B

Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.People: For we have sinned against you.

Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.People: And grant us your salvation.

Form C

Priest: You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: You came to call sinners.People: Christ, have mercy.

Priest: You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us.People: Lord, have mercy.

The absolution of the Priest follows:

Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

People: Amen

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Prayers and Rituals for Use in Year TenI. Peace Prayer (of St Francis)

Who Wrote the Peace Prayer of St. Francis?

by Friar Jack Wintz, O.F.M.

Few prayers are more popular around the world and better loved than the “Peace Prayer of St. Francis.” Nearly everyone recognizes a happy harmony between the words of this prayer and the generous, joy-filled and peace-loving spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

What will surprise many readers is that no serious scholar today, Franciscan or otherwise, would place the Peace Prayer among the authentic writings of St. Francis. In recent decades it has become evident that the prayer originated during the early years of the 1900’s, but until recently no one has pointed out the exact year. Finally, researchers are getting to the bottom of the mystery.

About eight years ago, a Franciscan confrere gave me the e-mail address of French scholar Dr. Christian Renoux of the University of Orleans in France, who had come to know a lot about this issue. In 2001, Renoux authored a book in French, entitled La priere pour la paix attribuee a Saint Francois. Une enigme a resoudre (The Peace Prayer Attributed to St. Francis: A Riddle to Be Solved). While working on a writing project about 7 years ago, I asked Dr. Renoux if he could summarize his findings for me. Dr. Renoux kindly agreed to do so.

The Peace Prayer Takes a Circuitous Path

“The first appearance of the Peace Prayer,” according to Dr. Renoux, “occurred in France in 1912 in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (the little bell). It was published in Paris by a Catholic association known as La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe, “The Holy Mass League,” founded in 1901 by a French priest, Father Esther Bouquerel (1855-1923). The prayer bore the title of Belle priere a faire pendant la messe; “A Beautiful Prayer to Say During the Mass” and was published anonymously. The author could have possibly been Father Bouquerel himself, but until now the identity of the author remains a mystery.

“The prayer was sent in French to Pope Benedict XV in 1915. This was soon followed by its 1916 appearance, in Italian, in the Osservatore Romano. Around 1920, the prayer was printed by a French Franciscan priest on the back of an image of St. Francis with the title Priere pour la paix, “Prayer for Peace,” but without being attributed to the saint. Between the two World Wars, the prayer circulated in Europe and was translated into English.

“The first translation in English that we know of appeared in 1936 in Living Courageously, a book by Kirby Page (1890-1957), a Disciples of Christ minister. Page attributed the text to St. Francis of Assisi. During the Second World War and immediately after, this prayer for peace began circulating widely as the Prayer of St. Francis and over the years has gained a worldwide popularity with people of all faiths.”

The prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;

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where there is darkness, light;where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Disturbance Prayer Rina Wintour & Pat Lavercombe

Jesus, make me a channel of disturbance.Where there is apathy, let me provoke.Where there is compliance, let me bring questioning.Where there is silence, let me be a voice.

Where there is too much comfort and too little action,Grant disruption.Where there are doors closed and hearts locked,Grant the willingness to listen.

When laws dictate and pain is overlooked…When tradition speaks louder than need…When we refuse to take control of our own spiritual growth…Our own mission…Our own poor,Disturb me, O Lord ,Teach me to be radical. (R Wintour)

O Divine Master Grant that I may seek ratherTo do justice than talk about it;To be with as well as for, the poor;To love the hard-to-love as well as the lovely;To kiss the children of the poor rather than the feet of the crucifix.For it is in giving that we receiveIt is in walking-with that we truly understand.It is in challenging evil that we achieve justice.It is in the struggles of this life that we touch eternity.Lord, make me a channel of disturbance. (P Lavercombe)

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II. The Magnificat

This “prayer” is attributed to Mary by the writer of Luke’s Gospel. It does not appear in any other Gospel text. While it may well capture the feelings in Mary’s heart at the time she came to know of her role in God’s plan, there is no historical evidence that she actually used these words.

Rather, these ae the words of every faithful servant of God, who is open to God’s plan despite a sense of powerlessness and disenfranchisement. It is the cry of the Anawim of Yahweh: the poor, the outcast, the powerless- the ones God tended to choose as messengers of the “Dream” to Israel and the world. Her prayer is reminiscent of the prayer of Hannah at the birth of the prophet Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10). The mother of the saviour is speaking for the whole of her race that has laboured to bring forth the child of promise.

Like the Lord’s Prayer, the Magnificat is a very Jewish prayer and contains core themes from the Hebrew Scriptures: Numbers 6:24-26; Isaiah 54:8,10; Genesis 17:5-7; and in particular 1Samuel 2:4-8.

The prayer then should be prayed not as a Marian prayer, but of every servant of God. It is a prayer of praise, of surrender, of hope in God’s justice and mercy.

My soul magnifies the Lord,And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.He has shown strength with His arm: He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree.He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

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III. Canticle of Creation

The Canticle of Brother SunMost High, all powerful, good Lord,

Yours are the praises, the glory, the honour, and all blessing.

To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun,

who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendour!

Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praise be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven you formed them

clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene,

and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night and he is beautiful

and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us and who produces

varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love,

and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,

from whom no living man can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will

find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.

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Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks

and serve Him with great humility.

AMEN

Song, music, and poetry were so deeply a part of the nature of Saint Francis that in times of sorrow and sickness as well as of joy and good health he spontaneously gave voice in song to his feelings, his inspirations, and his prayers. The clearest expression of this aspect of the personality of the Poverello is the Canticle of Brother Sun. G. K. Chesterton, in his reflections on the saint, wrote of this work: "It is a supremely characteristic work and much of Saint Francis could be reconstructed from that work alone. " And Eloi Leclercq, O.F.M., has written: "The manner in which Francis here looks at the created world is a key to his inner self, for the Canticle undoubtedly has elements that reveal in a special way the personality of its author. "

The Canticle of Brother Sun is a piece of spiritual literature that comes at a transition period in the development of language, that is, when Latin was slowly becoming Italian. For this reason, philologists and literary scholars as well as students of spiritual theology have studied this work. In the twentieth century more than five hundred articles have examined the Canticle and within the past twenty years ten books have been written about it.

The Legend of Perugia, 43, narrates the circumstances of the composition of the first section of the Canticle, in which the saint invites all creation to praise its Creator. The author describes the intense suffering of the Poverello in that period after he had received the stigmata. "For his praise," he said, "I wish to compose a new hymn about the Lord's creatures, of which we make daily use, without which we cannot live, and with which the human race greatly offends its Creator." The second section of the Canticle, consisting of two verses concerning pardon and peace, was composed a short time afterward in an attempt to unite the quarrelling civil and religious authorities of Assisi. The same Legend of Perugia, 44, describes the reconciling power the Canticle had in the resolution of the conflict. The final verses of the work, which constitute the third section, were written at the death of Saint Francis. Once again the Legend of Perugia, 100, provides the details of the scene at the Portiuncula where the Seraphic Father enthusiastically sang the praises of Sister Death and welcomed her embrace.

This magnificent hymn expresses the mystical vision of the Saint of Assisi and, since it springs from the depths of his soul, provides us with many insights into the profundity of his life of faith in the Triune God, Who so deeply enters into creation. In this vision, however, the Little Poor Man does not lose himself in space or in the vastness of the created world. He becomes so intimate and familiar with the wonders of creation that he embraces them as "Brother" and "Sister," that is, members of one family. More than any other aspect of the Canticle, this unique feature has enhanced the spiritual tradition of Christian spirituality.

(This introduction on the "Canticle" has been taken from: The Classics of Western Spirituality - Francis & Clare - Translation and Introduction by: Regis J. Armstrong, OFM, Cap. and Ignatius C. Brady, OFM).

http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/archive/stfrancis/stf_canticle_of_the_sun.htm

IV.

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Planning for Prayer in the Classroom/Homeroom – Term OverviewThis template can be a way of recording prayer experiences and can be easily adapted to suit the local context.

Prayers/ Prayer Experiences:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Prayers of Thanksgiving –

Prayers of Praise - use photos or images as stimulusPrayers of intercession using set structures for starters and for response

Prayers for forgiveness – Sorry Circle

Lighting of candle followed by Silence

Reflective music for relaxation and breathing

Guided meditations Ignatian meditation using scriptureExamen

Scripture reading and response

Praying with MandalasPraying with Labyrinths

Lectio DivinaBlessings

Sign of PeaceLight a Candle website

Reflective time using digital images

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An Example of a Two Minute PC Prayer:

Gather and Prepare:

Sound chime to call class to stillness and silence.Light candle when all are silent.Invite group to listen to our call as a Christian community gathered:

Listen:The teaching of Jesus as told by Matthew:

You are the light of the world. No one lights a candle to put it under a tub. They put it on a stand where it shines for everyone. So too, your light must shine for all, so that, seeing the good you do, they too will come to know the love of God.

Pause, repeat the reading, pause.Respond:Let us pray:Gracious God, You ask us to continue the mission of Jesus by sharing our love with others.Inspire us today to make a difference in others' lives.Fire in our hearts the desire to make the world a better place.We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.Amen.

Go:

May God the Creator, Source of All Life, lead us in the way of truth. Amen.

May God the Son, our Brother and Teacher, show us how to live a committed life. Amen.

May God the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of God, grace us with the wisdom to choose what is good. Amen

Let’s go into this day at peace with one another. (Extinguish Candle)

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An Example of a Two Minute PC Prayer:

Gather and Prepare:

Sound rain stick to call class to stillness and silence.Light candle when all are silent.Sound rain stick again.

Listen:Inform class of the presence of a new student. Either give information on, or have the student tell a little of themselves.

Respond:Let us ask for God’s blessing on ....... our new classmate and pray

that we will be a welcoming community to all who join us.

Loving God, you love and care for us all. Bless (name) as he/she begins his/her journey with us. Bless us all as we welcome him/her to our class community.

We make this prayer through Jesus your Son. Amen

Go:

Let us ask God’s blessing on us as we go into this day:May our God of Hope fill us with joy as we spend time with others. AmenMay we try, each day, to live lives that reflect God’s love for all people. Amen.May we as a community, reach out from the security of our own groups to welcome others who come among us. Amen. And may our loving God bless us: the creator, the redeemer and the Spirit of life. Amen.

Let’s go into this day, carrying in our hearts the reminder of Mary MacKillop to never see a need without acting on it.

(Extinguish Candle)

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An Example of a Two Minute PC Prayer:

Gather and Prepare:

Sound chime to call class to stillness and silence.Light candle when all are silent.

Listen:

Invite group to listen to, or read, an extract of a recent article from the media; or to contribute news stories/events of the past few days.

Respond:Let us put our prayers for the world before God:

For the people of .......who are suffering this day. We ask God’s special presence. Lord Hear us.

For ourselves, people of the minority world who have plenty: that we will have the courage and generosity to act where we can.Lord Hear us.

For those who work and volunteer in places experiencing crisis: that God will protect and bless them in their work. Lord Hear us.

Loving God, you give us the freedom to choose our path in life. May the teaching of Jesus inspire us to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly in our world. We make this prayer in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Go:

May our God of Justice call us to serve the world and our neighbour in every way we can this day and always. Amen. Let’s go into this day, carrying in our hearts the reminder of Mary MacKillop to never see a need without acting on it.

(Extinguish Candle)

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An Example of a 4-5 minute PC Prayer:

Gather and Prepare:

Call students to silence. Light candle.Invite group to close their eyes and listen to the following piece of music and to allow their senses to soar with the cadences of the music or to regulate their breathing using a mantra such as “peace”; or “calm”; or “relax”; or just to listen to the lyrics.

Listen:Play an appropriate piece of music such as Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor (4 mins 40); or Aled Jones’ Deep Peace (3 mins 17); or Be Still (3 mins, 07); or You raise Me Up (4 mins

Respond:Let us pray:God of the silences, Help us, when we wait here in the silence, to hear you whispering our name.We make this prayer in the name of the Spirit of Jesus, who walks with us always.Amen.Or:

Let us offer each other a sign of peace as we leave today.

Go:

Let’s go now to our homes, leaving the troubles of the day behind and at peace with one another. (Extinguish Candle)

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A Two-Minute PC Prayer in Time of Need and Suffering

Gather and Prepare:

In this time of worry and concern, let us bow our heads and put ourselves in the loving care of our God. We light a candle to symbolise our faith that where we have gathered in his name, Jesus is present with us.

Let us pray:Loving God, we turn to you at this time, believing that you care what happens to us and that you are with us, especially in our times of hardship. May we feel your powerful presence with us at this time and may we be comforted in the knowledge that with you as our help and guide, we can face any sorrow and trouble life present us. We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Listen:A reading from the Good News as told by Matthew:

Jesus said: “ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks, always receives, the one who searches always finds, the one who walks will always have the door opened to them....If you know how to give your children what is good, how much more will God in heaven give good things to those who ask!

Respond:Knowing God has promised to respond to our requests, let us now silently put before God the names of the people whom we know are suffering and are in need of God’s special care.(Pause in silence)

Go:

Let us go into this day seeking the blessing that God walks with us and knows our needs.

May God the creator continue to give us life and support. AmenMay Jesus our brother, who knew suffering and pain, comfort us at this time. AmenAnd May the Spirit of God strengthen and guide us in our life journeys. Amen.

Extinguish candle

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